After yesterday, which was a full day of real work back on site, today was more in the mode of last week - a half day of work followed by a half day of sitting with my laptop trying to get back into the swing of the whole book research thing, and not be distracted by the fact that I've finally got myself a RSS feeder which is supposed to stop me being so distracted by constantly reading blogs and online news but obviously, as a new toy, has done precisely the opposite today.

Trying to find more projects in areas we have gaps in is surprisingly difficult when it comes to, of all places, France. Why the dearth of imaginative, participatory projects here? One article I read online posits that it is as a result of political culture favoring uniformity (egalité) over participatory, and therefore idiosyncratic and unequal, decisionmaking processes. But again, with a highly funded arts scene and plenty of artist-run spaces and so forth, aren't some of those artists getting out into the street and working with their communities to help articulate and address their problems, aspirations and needs, as has been happening in neighbouring European countries? Or maybe I'm just a really crap researcher. Anyway, suggestions for projects are welcome, i.e. desperately needed...

Meanwhile, for your musical delectation, a link to a great mashup (thanks to, of all people the Observer blog. Aren't I sad.)